I'm sure the bonuses will be the same regardless. The only difference is which vendor will get the exclusive gear. For us I'd say since Game & Gamestation are the only ones stocking (or allowed to stock?) the CE for preorder then either one or both of those will have the armour and assault rifle.

Personally I don't care. I almost never used any of the bonus DLC armour & weapons in ME2 and I doubt this will be any different.

Actually I found the Firepower pack helped to rebalance certain things on the harder difficulty settings. Specifically, playing as an Adept is really tough on the higher levels since you have no powers that can reliably deal with shielded enemies. With vanilla shotguns it's difficult because the Adept seems to have very weak shields and getting in close is almost certain death. the Geth shotgun remedies that on both fronts.

As for the ME2 preorder DLC; I got the Steam "digital deluxe" version so I've never used the Blackstorm. Looked like fun though. I think I had that fugly Inferno armour, the Incisor (sp?) sniper rifle and the Collector weapons and armour (plus of course, Zaeed & the Normandy crashsite.)

The sniper rifle was actually quite useful if you gave it to your sniper squadmates as it would often completely take out enemy shields in one burst. As a Soldier or Infiltrator I found you have to resist the urge to sight on the head as the recoil will send the second & third shots high. Instead go for the centre of mass and let the recoil do the work and (if you're lucky) get the headshot with the third round. VERY effective vs. Vorcha.

I've actually been messing round with the Gibbed editor recently and just for fun I'm seeing what it's like running around as a Sentinel with the Claymore, the Revenant & the Willow. I'm going to have to up the difficulty to nightmare or something because I'm just single handedly cutting through every enemy, even on hardcore!

REDWOOD SHORES, CA. – JANUARY 11, 2012 – The massive world of Amalur will finally break open when Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) and 38 Studios, LLC release a demo for Kingdoms of Amalur: ReckoningTM on January 17, 2012. Available for the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC, the demo will give players a taste of the rich, diverse, action-packed world of Amalur, and will also unlock special items in the final game.

In addition to the demo, 38 Studios has teamed up with BioWare to create a cross promotion to reward fans of both Reckoning and Mass Effect 3*. By playing the upcoming demos for both Reckoning and Mass Effect 3, gamers will receive special in-game items, including Mass Effect inspired, Omni-blade daggers in Reckoning and special Reckoning-themed armor and assault rifle in Mass Effect 3 designed by award-winning artist Todd McFarlane.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to deliver this massive one-two punch with Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning and Mass Effect 3. We wanted to provide fans of the Mass Effect franchise with a unique set of rewards for diving into the expansive universe of Reckoning,” said Curt Schilling, Chairman and Founder of 38 Studios.

“We are excited to be collaborating with 38 Studios to bring pieces inspired by the Mass Effect universe into the world of Reckoning and to have items designed by Todd McFarlane in Mass Effect 3,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, General Manager of EA’s BioWare Label and Co-Founder of BioWare. “This is an awesome way to reward our fans with unique content that not only looks cool, but also delivers some great in-game benefits.”

By playing the Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning demo,gamers will receive two unlocks for Mass Effect 3 when the highly anticipated game releases on March 6, 2012, both designed by the renowned creator of Spawn, Todd McFarlane:

Reckoner Knight Armor:
This armor will maximize damage done in close-quarters combat while a beefed–up power cell feeds energy into weapon systems to increase projectile velocity.

The Chakram Launcher: This weapon uses a fabricator to manufacture lightweight, explosive ammunition discs. This weapon is earned after completing the Reckoning demo and watching the trailer at the end.

By playing the upcoming Mass Effect 3 demo, fans will unlock the following items for Reckoning when the game launches on February 7, inspired by Mass Effect:

Onmiblade Daggers: A holographic blade stemming from Commander Shepard’s Omni-Tool, the Omni-blade allows players to stab enemies in close combat. Once players install and play the Mass Effect 3 demo, they will unlock the daggers.

The Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning demo features the introduction to the game, allowing players to experience the game’s Tutorial Mode and a portion of its large, open world. Players will create and customize their hero and drop right into the action. Once players master the basics, they will have 45 minutes to explore the vast world of Amalur and begin to embark upon a quest that could redefine their character’s destiny forever.

Well at least the helmet looks good. I'll probably go for this since I'm always willing to give a new demo a go. I mean at least you don't have to buy the game like you did with the blood dragon armour, right?

Well i was going to get this for the PC but as the retail version requires origin for authentication i dont think i will bother now, i have enough with steam and GFWL on my PC, i dont need or can be bothered dealing with any more of these programs.

1) Will Origin be a requirement to play all versions of Mass Effect 3? (Digital and/or from a retail brick and mortar store) Yes, Origin is required for all PC editions of Mass Effect 3, physical or digital.

2) Is constant Origin connection required or is it a single one off authentication when the game is first installed. Is there also a limit to the number of installations available?
Mass Effect 3 will require a one time, single authorization for the single player game. There is no limit to the number of installs. Playing Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer will require a constant connection.

3) Is Origin required for the retail versions of the game?
Origin is required for the PC versions of Mass Effect 3, both physical and digital.

4) Will ME3 be available on Steam?
During initial release Mass Effect 3 will be available on Origin and a number of other 3rd party digital retailers, but not on Steam at this time. Steam has adopted a set of restrictive terms of service which limit how developers interact with customers to deliver patches and other downloadable content. We are intent on providing Mass Effect to players with the best possible experience no matter where they purchase or play their game, and are happy to partner with any download service that does not restrict our ability to connect directly with our consumers.

5) Is there an opt in or opt out clause for data collection?
Users will be allowed to opt-out of Mass Effect 3 data collection from inside the game.

6) I’ve seen reports that Origin is spyware. Is this true?
Origin is not spyware, and does not use or install spyware on user’s machines. In order to allow Origin to install games and their patches for everyone to use, Origin implements a permission change that results in Windows, not Origin, reviewing the filenames in the ProgramData/Origin folder. This is an ordinary Windows function, not an information-gathering process.

7) Has the Origin EULA been updated following recent questions in Germany?
The German Origin EULA has been updated. For more information, please review the Origin EULA here: http://www.ea.com/1/product-eulas.

8) Is there a double-opt in for Mass Effect 3 marketing emails for German residents?
Yes, we always adhere to the German requirement of a double opt-in standard for marketing emails. Mass Effect 3 users must opt-in twice to receive these emails.

I'm rather resigned to the whole thing. My preference would be to get it on Steam, but that's obviously not going to happen since Valve and EA had a falling out. Even if I owned and Xbox or PS3 (which I don't), all my previous ME1&2 saves are on the PC and starting from scratch for ME3 just isn't going to happen.

Personally, I plan on finding a way to disable or block Origin from making an outside connection once the game has been installed and all the activation codes have been sorted out (which took a bot of doing for ME2 as well as I recall.)

REDWOOD SHORES, CA. – JANUARY 11, 2012 – The massive world of Amalur will finally break open when Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) and 38 Studios, LLC release a demo for Kingdoms of Amalur: ReckoningTM on January 17, 2012. Available for the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC, the demo will give players a taste of the rich, diverse, action-packed world of Amalur, and will also unlock special items in the final game.

In addition to the demo, 38 Studios has teamed up with BioWare to create a cross promotion to reward fans of both Reckoning and Mass Effect 3*. By playing the upcoming demos for both Reckoning and Mass Effect 3, gamers will receive special in-game items, including Mass Effect inspired, Omni-blade daggers in Reckoning and special Reckoning-themed armor and assault rifle in Mass Effect 3 designed by award-winning artist Todd McFarlane.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to deliver this massive one-two punch with Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning and Mass Effect 3. We wanted to provide fans of the Mass Effect franchise with a unique set of rewards for diving into the expansive universe of Reckoning,” said Curt Schilling, Chairman and Founder of 38 Studios.

“We are excited to be collaborating with 38 Studios to bring pieces inspired by the Mass Effect universe into the world of Reckoning and to have items designed by Todd McFarlane in Mass Effect 3,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, General Manager of EA’s BioWare Label and Co-Founder of BioWare. “This is an awesome way to reward our fans with unique content that not only looks cool, but also delivers some great in-game benefits.”

By playing the Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning demo,gamers will receive two unlocks for Mass Effect 3 when the highly anticipated game releases on March 6, 2012, both designed by the renowned creator of Spawn, Todd McFarlane:

Reckoner Knight Armor:
This armor will maximize damage done in close-quarters combat while a beefed–up power cell feeds energy into weapon systems to increase projectile velocity.

The Chakram Launcher: This weapon uses a fabricator to manufacture lightweight, explosive ammunition discs. This weapon is earned after completing the Reckoning demo and watching the trailer at the end.

By playing the upcoming Mass Effect 3 demo, fans will unlock the following items for Reckoning when the game launches on February 7, inspired by Mass Effect:

Onmiblade Daggers: A holographic blade stemming from Commander Shepard’s Omni-Tool, the Omni-blade allows players to stab enemies in close combat. Once players install and play the Mass Effect 3 demo, they will unlock the daggers.

The Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning demo features the introduction to the game, allowing players to experience the game’s Tutorial Mode and a portion of its large, open world. Players will create and customize their hero and drop right into the action. Once players master the basics, they will have 45 minutes to explore the vast world of Amalur and begin to embark upon a quest that could redefine their character’s destiny forever.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Just finished playing the demo and I have to say, it was a lot of fun! Gameplay wise it's sort of Zelda/Beyond Good & Evil meets Dragon Age. Storywise...not so much, but then it's an open world RPG, so I wouldn't expect the main plot to open up within the first 45 mins.

And yes, just to be sure I checked that the ME3 DLC has been unlocked on my Bioware social account.